By Gordon Lubold with Nathaniel SobelGordon Lubold is a senior writer at FP and author of Situation Report with help by Nathaniel Sobel, director of research at the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Follow him @glubold and him @njsobe4.

May 6, 2014

By Gordon Lubold with Nathaniel Sobel

Boko Haram’s leader says he has taken abducted girls as slaves and he wants to sell them. The New York Daily News’ Bill Hutchinson this morning: "A man claiming to be the leader of an Al Qaeda-trained terrorist group holding 223 girls snatched from a Nigerian school threatened Monday to sell them as brides – even those as young as 9. In a shocking 57-minute video, a man professing to be Abubakar Shekau called women "slaves" and ranted that Allah gave him permission to sell the abducted girls for as little as $12. It was the first time the group, called Boko Haram, boasted responsibility for the April 15 mass abductions at the Chibok Girls Secondary School in northeast Nigeria. ‘I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah. I will sell them off and marry them off,’ the man in the video railed, while holding an assault rifle." More here.

The WSJ’s Gbenga Seun Ijagba and Drew Hinshaw: "…The girls don’t appear in the video, and their whereabouts aren’t known. State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf on Monday said there were indications that some of the girls had likely been moved out of the country. The video represented a grim update on what has become a hunt with few leads for an entire class of girls who weeks ago had been taking their final exams at a boarding school.

Shekau in the video: "‘Education is sin; it is forbidden,’ … ‘Women must go and marry.’" More here.

Meantime, Kerry winds up his trip to Africa and in Angola threatened sanctions against South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar. Reuters’ Phil Stewart and Shrikesh Laxmidas:"U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened sanctions and other "consequences" for South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar on Monday if he refuses to commit to peace talks aimed at ending more than four months of fighting that has killed thousands.Kerry flew to South Sudan on Friday, securing a commitment from President Salva Kiir to fly to Ethiopia for face-to-face talks with rival Machar. But Kerry failed to win a similar commitment from Machar when he later spoke with him by phone.

‘He has a fundamental decision to make. If he decides not to (go) and procrastinates, then we have a number of different options that are available to us,’ said Kerry, speaking to reporters in Angola’s capital, Luanda, his last stop on a nearly week-long trip to Africa." More here.

And after yesterday’s meeting in the Oval, the U.S. signs a 20-year lease with Djibouti to keep Camp Lemonnier open. The NYT’s Eric Schmitt: "The Obama administration said Monday that it had signed a 20-year lease on its military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, the only American installation on the continent and a staging ground for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia. Djibouti, a country of fewer than one million people the size of New Jersey that borders the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, has played an increasingly significant role in seeking to stabilize regional crises. The deal reflects the small country’s outsize strategic importance in helping the United States and other Western allies combat terrorists, pirates and smugglers in the region. In a 40-minute meeting in the Oval Office, President Obama and Ismail Omar Guelleh, the president of Djibouti, covered a range of security and development issues, aides said. But the talks centered on the critical role played by Camp Lemonnier, a sprawling base of 4,000 American service members and civilians that serves as a hub for counterterrorism operations and training." More here.

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Chuck Hagel is in Chicago today to make a pitch for why the U.S. should stay engaged around the globe. Hagel will address an event that is co-hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, chaired by former NATO Ambassador Ivo Daalder, and the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, chaired by former political adviser for President Obama David Axelrod. The speech begins at 9:45 EST and will be carried live on the Pentagon Channel here.

From a senior defense official to SitRep this morning: "Secretary Hagel has long wanted to travel to Chicago, the capital of America’s heartland, to discuss the imperative of continuing United States global leadership abroad. His speech will argue why and how the U.S. should remain engaged in world events and is all the more timely given recent polls showing nearly half of the country would prefer the U.S. pull back from the world stage."

The official noted that the speech comes as the House Armed Services Committee works to complete its markup of the 2015 budget bill and that Hagel will "continue his drumbeat" that the Pentagon needs the authority "to execute the tough decisions military leaders made earlier this year in the President’s Budget."

What Hagel will say according to an excerpt provided to SitRep: "Although Americans today are increasingly skeptical of foreignengagement and global responsibilities, it is a mistake to view ourglobal responsibilities as a burden or as charity. Let us rememberthat the biggest beneficiaries of American leadership and engagementin the world are the American people. Turning inward, history teachesus, does not insulate us from the world’s troubles. It only forces usto be more engaged later – at a higher cost in blood and treasure, andoften on the terms of others. This is perhaps more true than ever in today’s globalized world. Walking away from the world, and ourrelationships, is not an option for the United States of America…"

Watch the WSJ’s Jerry Seib provide a glimpse of the paradox that is the Obama presidency when it comes to foreign policy. WSJ teaser for his vid: "American’s seem totally in sync with President Barack Obama’s desire to stay out of military conflicts abroad, but they also seem troubled by it at the same time. According to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 47% of Americans think the United States should be less active in global conflicts. But at the same time, only 38% said they approve of the job the president is doing handling foreign policy and about half said they want a president who projects strength and will take on America’s enemies abroad." More here.

Who’s Where When today – Hagel speaks in Chica
go, then a big day on the Hill: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Marty Dempsey, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Sandy Winnefeld; Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Jim Amos and Chief of the National Guard Bureau Army Gen. Frank Grass all testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on military compensation at 9:30 a.m. … Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy Director Paige Hinkle-Bowles testifies before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Subcommittee on Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce on "A More Efficient and Effective Government: Cultivating the Federal Workforce," at 2:30 p.m.

Bob Work starts his second official day as Deputy Secretary of Defense today. Work was sworn in by his boss, Hagel, yesterday morning at 8:45 a.m. Work already has a few aides and may bring some other people in from outside the building. Serving beside him for now: Jonathan Lachman will continue in his current role as acting chief of staff and joining Work are Dan Feehan as special assistant (a current White House Fellow) and Tom Ehrhard (who used to be at CSBA and more recently at the Pentagon policy shop) as a senior advisor.

The American Legion calls on Shinseki to resign. Stars and Stripes’ Chris Carroll: "The head of one of the nation’s major veterans service organizations on Monday called on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and top department leadership to step down following reports of delays and neglect at VA health centers around the nation. American Legion National Commander Daniel M. Dellinger said Monday the incidents ‘are part of what appear to be a pattern of scandals that has infected the entire system.’ In a speech at the organization’s headquarters in Indianapolis, he also called for the resignations of Under Secretary for Health Robert Petzel and Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey. Dellinger’s call comes on the heels of whistleblower reports that more than 40 veterans may have died awaiting treatment while the Phoenix VA Health Care System maintained a secret waiting list designed to cover up delays in delivering care." More here.

Buck McKeon unveiled his $521 billion defense spending bill yesterday. The Hill’s Kristina Wong and Martin Matishak: "House lawmakers on Monday released a $521 billion blueprint for the 2015 defense budget that rejects most of the Pentagon’s cost-saving proposals.

"The top line figure is identical to the Pentagon’s, but the legislation from House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) would replace the Defense Department’s requested cuts with different reductions. For instance, the bill rejected the Pentagon’s plans to slow the growth of military pay and benefits; retire an aircraft carrier and the U-2 spy plane fleet; and launch another round of base closures. Instead, it calls for other cuts, including about $1.4 billion in the Pentagon’s training, repairs and operations and maintenance budgets. The bill implicitly acknowledges it would lead to higher spending after 2015, when additional spending cuts under sequestration are to be implemented, but proposes no curbs on that spending, and instead asks the president to find new savings within the Pentagon budget. ‘The chairman isn’t going to make up the shortfall this year,’ said a House aide on background." More here.

Heads up journos, think-tankers, lobbyists and other straphangers: Want to get on the HASC’s distro ahead of tomorrow’s markup? You have to sign up here by midnight to get on the list to receive markup updates on the budget. Do it here.

A former Marine throws his hat in the political ring in Virginia. The Virginian-Pilot’s Bill Bartel: An Iraq War veteran who served in the Marine Corps announced Monday he’s running as an independent against U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott in Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District. Justin Gandino-Saadein, 32, said he believes a congressman who is not aligned with a political party has a better chance of breaking the partisan gridlock that has blocked compromise in Washington. ‘We need a mediator to break the tension,’ he said. ‘They don’t trust the parties.’" More here.

Syrian opposition offices in the U.S. are given "foreign mission" status. The WaPo’s Karen DeYoung: The Obama administration has designated the offices of the Syrian Opposition Coalition a "foreign mission" in this country, a category that gives the group a symbolic boost in status but that falls well short of diplomatic recognition as a government. The designation, announced Monday, was timed to coincide with a visit to Washington by coalition President Ahmad al-Jarba this week. The administration also will ask Congress to provide an additional $27 million in nonlethal aid to the Syrian political opposition, bringing the U.S. total to $287 million." More here.

The White House is pushing private sector levers to isolate Putin.The NYT’s Peter Baker on Page One: "The White House has pressured the chief executives of some of America’s largest energy, financial and industrial corporations into canceling plans to attend an international economic forum in Russia to be hosted by President Vladimir V. Putin this month, the latest effort to isolate Moscow in retaliation for its intervention in Ukraine. The top executives of such giants as Alcoa, Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo, Morgan Stanley, ConocoPhillips and other multinational companies with business in Russia have either pulled out of the conference or plan to do so after an intensive lobbying campaign by President Obama’s advisers. Corporate officials predicted that nearly every American C.E.O. will now skip the forum in St. Petersburg." More here.

In the WSJ today, Marco Rubio argues for why Ukraine needs a lifeline – now! Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican from Florida, on anchoring the hryvnia – the Ukrainian currency – would help Kiev immensely to deliver a blow to Putin, here.

A Ukrainian helicopter is downed as fighting resumes near the border with Russia. The WaPo’s Simon Denyer, Fredrick Kunkle and Michael Birnbaum: "Pro-Russian insurgents shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter as heavy fighting re-erupted around a key rebel stronghold Monday, leaving at least eight people dead and dozens wounded. The fierce fighting in Slovyansk, a separatist stronghold, broke out as the Ukrainian government sought to regain control of the key Black Sea port of Odessa, dispatching a special police unit to that city after deadly clashes there between rival mobs supporting Ukraine and Russia."The day brought new setbacks to Ukrainian forces, with four troops killed and the helicopter shot down by rebel forces in clashes near Slovya
nsk that spanned several hours."It was the fourth Ukrainian helicopter to be shot down in recent days. In a visit to a checkpoint near the fighting, Ukraine’s interior minister, Arsen Avakov, acknowledged that after years of neglect, his country’s military is weak and lacks basic supplies." More here.

Break, break new subject: Is it ethical to draft dolphins into war? Philip Hoare’s BLUF in a NYT op-Ed today: "Our objections to the use of dolphins in war may be sentimental, because we project idealized notions of placidity on their perennially smiling faces. We are imposing our own values, good and bad, on wild animals. But if we apprehend that dolphins are moral beings, then might they themselves object to being weapons of war? Perhaps we need to work on our dolphinese."More here.

Meet the King Stallion, the U.S. Military’s new muscular helicopter.FP’s Dan Lamothe: "First there was the Sea Stallion, a workhorse helicopter that cut its teeth in combat in Vietnam. Then there was the Super Stallion, which offered more power and received heavy use in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, we’ve learned what’s coming next: The King Stallion, the military’s most powerful helicopter ever, which is set to fly for the first time later this year.

"Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, unveiled the colorful name and the first prototype of the helicopter able to make test flights in a ceremony at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.’s test facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday. The CH-53K, as the King Stallion is formally known, will replace the CH-53D Sea Stallion and the CH-53E Super Stallion, venerable aircraft that have been used so much in recent years that the military actually started renovating some that had been sent to the boneyard, where the military sends retired aircraft. The Marine Corps wants some 200 King Stallions, at a cost of up to $25 billion, counting research and development. They could be in use by 2019." More here.

July is the next deadline for America’s next choppers. Defense News’ Paul McLeary: "In July, the US Army will make its first big decision on how to proceed with the ambitious, decades-long developmental project to replace up to 4,000 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters by the mid-2030s. Four contractors are working on demonstrator and technology projects under the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) program, which will eventually develop the baseline requirements for the $100 billion Future Vertical Lift (FVL) effort. The teams will submit their work to the Army in June for evaluation, after which the number of competitors will likely be whittled to two that will build actual demonstrator aircraft that will fly from 2017 to 2019." More here.

A policy debate looms over the U.S. role in the market for ‘zero day’ cyber threats. Inside Cybersecurity’s Chris Castelli: "In a bid to address questions about the federal government’s willingness to conceal and exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities for intelligence purposes, the White House last week issued a statement on how it decides whether to reveal such a flaw, noting a key factor is protecting critical infrastructure. But there remains a looming policy debate about how to control the proliferation of zero-day exploits and whether the United States is in some ways contributing to the problem." More here.

Victims of sexual assault in the military may receive amnesty for minor crimes.U.S. News and World Report’s Paul Shinkman: "Imagine you’re a 20-year-old member of the armed forces who has just endured the trauma of a sexual assault or rape. You’re sitting down in the office of a military criminal investigative division to tell a special agent about the horrific incident, in keeping with the Department of Defense’s protocols. You begin with the details of what happened that evening: Perhaps you were drinking first, or had smoked marijuana. Or perhaps the incident began as consensual sex while you and your attacker were stationed in Baghdad or Kabul."Then the special agent, tasked with looking into this heinous crime and coordinating your participation in the subsequent investigation, closes his notebook and informs you he needs to read you your rights."‘It’s one of the most difficult things we can do,’ says Russell Strand, formerly with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. ‘I speak for all the agents I’ve worked with and talked to.’"Strand points to the military’s strict adherence to ‘good order and discipline,’ the broad regulations that include stipulations that a rape victim must also be investigated if they admit to breaking military rules. This not only includes regulations against underage drinking, drug use, or consensual sex in a war zone, but also more nuanced rules such as some services’ ban on anybody even entering a barracks room designated for the opposite sex. These exist to protect service members when it counts the most, particularly when they could fall victim to an enemy attack. But they also serve to deter victims from reporting crimes against them, or worse, provide a loophole for attackers to corner victims into keeping their mouths shut."…The panel is considering recommending the creation a list of violations for which a rape or assault victim would automatically be legally immune. This would allow investigators like Strand and his former colleagues to move beyond their own regulations that say they must read rights to any person who confesses to breaking military rules." More here.